Paradise On the Blog

Updates from #edfringe venue Paradise Green! Find us at Augustine's, George IV Bridge Venue 152, The Vault 11 Merchant Street Venue 29 & The Kirkhouse 86 Candlemaker Row Venue 155!

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Our companies were busy out on the Mile yesterday flyering ready for their last few days of shows! 

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You know you’re working at the Fringe when you get home at 1am and think “Awesome - an early night to catch up on some sleep!”

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Too true.

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Welcome to the worlds biggest flyering festival! Here have a flyer!

Overheard on the mile.

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#Finished work to see the sun rise. #edfringe #edinburgh #sun

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Oh Edinburgh! How are you so beautiful!

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Some photos from our Fringe 2013

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"A Trip Backstage: Techies in Paradise

Have you ever seen the people scurrying around the Paradise venues hauling equipment, files, tools and gaffa tape? That's us: the technical team!

We're here to help companies get the most out of their performance space with sound, lights, projection and sometimes scenery. When groups arrive on our changeover days, we introduce them to the space then plan, prepare and verify all of the technical points for the show. This takes a few hours to make sure everyone is happy, and we make tonnes of notes so other techies will be able to work on the show later in the week. Everything changes between performances so we also support companies on show days by setting up as quickly as possible before they perform (everything ready in less than 15 minutes!) and troubleshooting any new problems.

We have some of the most sophisticated rigs at the Fringe which means we can offer a lot of flexibility to the companies who work with us. Some of them arrive with detailed plans, lots of production elements and crazy-cool ideas. We also meet companies who prefer to keep it simple or take a backseat. We're constantly talking with them to understand what they need from the space so people aren't left to totally freestyle!

Besides liaising with companies, we're always looking for ways to improve technical operations in the venue and develop our own skills. Working at Paradise Green is a great opportunity to try out ideas and practice using equipment we couldn't normally have access to during the rest of the year. It's something we're always keen to make the most of!"

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This would never happen on Broadway

Overheard on the Mile

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Paradise on the Beach! What our staff and techies (and even directors) get up to when we have some spare time!

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A word of advice if you’re ever given the chance to visit Edinburgh around the Fringe Festival season:

take it 

bring your camera

enjoy

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Hope all our companies are having just as much fun! Look out for them on the mile and elsewhere, some of them aren't hard to spot!

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Interview!

Here at Paradise Green we have several members of staff who are here every year, come rain, shine, floods, thunder, heatwaves... and that's just the first week! (Sorry, lame Scottish weather joke.)

Some of those people are deeply ingrained in Paradise Green legend – so I thought I'd interview a few of them. You can look forward to the interviews over the next few weeks, they'll be in and around the other blogs, so keep your eye out for them!

 First and foremost, let's meet Kay, our lovely Staffing Director.

 1)      How long have you been working for Paradise Green?

K – this is my fourth year, and my first year of being a director.

2)      What's your favourite job to do when you get to the Fringe – what do you look forward to the most? K – my favourite job is showing all the new staff the ropes and introducing them to the venue. I look forward to seeing all the returning staff – old friends – and meeting the new companies.

3)      Have there been any absolute disasters or funny stories you can tell us about? K – I was once doing the washing up in the Pantry and my hands started to swell up because I'm allergic to aloe vera. They turned into claws and that night in the pub people had to hold my drinks for me since the pub didn't have any straws and I couldn't keep hold of the glass myself!

4)      Do you have a favourite show you've seen – from any year? K – I've got two, one from this year was Theory of Justice – The Musical because I'm a big political theory nerd, and from a previous year it has to be The Beta Males – the Bunker, because I'm still quoting it now!

5)      What's your favourite Paradise Green word/ saying, and can you give us a translation? K– de-spanglify, which means “to make messy.”

 Thanks Kay!

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Spent half an hour walked around the royal mile in edinburgh. Didn’t see any shows or anything just passed through to see what the fuss was about. My god what a fuss! It was amazing. I normally hate random people handing me leaflets but this time I was taking everything!  Interacting with people so in love with their art and watching people expose themselves to for their craft was breathtaking. I was overwhelmed. I also met the star of the jekyll and hyde production who was doing her own leafleting, lovely person. It was a shame I was a blabbering idiot to her cos simply the whole half an hour left me speechless. I want to go back. I want to go back and see everything I possibly can!

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The Mile! One of Paradise Green's Favourite Things about being part of the Edinburgh Fringe! Look out for our companies!

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New Beginnings

Welcome to the first Paradise Green Blog Post of 2013!

 I'm going to write about some of the things that makes this the best venue to be a part of at the Fringe. (There are many reasons, so I've got a few posts lined up already).

 This year is exciting for all of us here for a fairly big reason: we've re-opened a venue called The Kirkhouse that closed (as a Fringe venue) in 2007. The theatre is located in the newly renovated building at the end of Candlemaker Row which is run by the Grassmarket Project and, I have to say, the building itself is incredibly beautiful.

 For all of us here, who are used to working in the very old, and very delicate Augustines Church on George IV Bridge, the brand new building feels incredibly clean. As you can imagine, working in a hundred and fifty year old church can get kind of dusty at times!

 Apart from being clean, the Kirkhouse has a fantastic theatre space. With lots of leg room. For anyone who has experienced an hour long show with their knees tucked up under their chin at a Fringe venue, the ample legroom (especially for our taller friends) is a lovely thing.

 I've also been lucky enough to see a sneak preview of a show during the company's “get in” (the technical rehearsal, to our non-theatre-working friends) and it works incredibly well. I think the shows that will be happening there over the next three weeks will be real treats, so make sure to pencil them in to your schedule!

 Speaking of treats (and sneak-previews), I've also had a peek at the menu that the Grassmarket Project cafe is going to be offering to our customers and it looks amazing. We've also arranged a special discount for anyone who has a ticket for a Paradise in the Kirkhouse show – you can get 10% off anything from the cafe if you show a valid ticket.

 Obviously this is a big year for Paradise Green and we're looking forward to bringing you some excellent shows in this new venue. Keep an eye out for the next blog – it'll be with you soon!